by Sable Hunter
They all looked around the table at each other. Had Kyle already appointed someone as the new leader? Saxon wondered to himself.
“Who?” Destry finally asked when it was clear everyone else was too shocked to speak.
“Well now, that’s gonna be up to you guys. I’m not gonna anoint anyone as my replacement, that wouldn’t be fair. Someone needs to step up to take the spot.”
“I’d say this is just about the biggest no-brainer ever,” Micah said with a grin.
“Yeah. Me,” Jet stated flatly.
“You? You can’t even read!” Micah fired back. “Give me a break.”
Jet was up and on his feet right away. “I’ll break something all right. You.”
Kyle stepped in between the two men. It wasn’t the first time he’d had to keep Jet and Micah from killing each other, and it probably wouldn’t be the last.
“You fellas can fight over it all you want,” Tyson interjected over the hollering. “I’m not interested.”
“I second that motion,” Destry said. “I still want to be on the team, but babysitting you morons isn’t something I have time to do.”
Saxon sat back in his seat, not saying a word.
“Sax?” Kyle asked. “Got anything to say here?”
The choice seemed obvious to Saxon – it should be him. “I think the choice is obvious. I should be the leader. Those two,” he gestured to Tyson and Destry, “have already recused themselves, and these other two can’t stop bickering long enough to do anything. That just leaves me.”
Jet was a man of few words, but Micah wasn’t. “You? Oh, that’s rich. You couldn’t lead the team out of the caves of Poland, and that’s in a world you created yourself!”
“It’s Polax, not Poland!” Saxon fired back, defending the landscape of Saxon’s Conquest. “I thought you told me you’d never played the game?”
“I didn’t play it. The damn thing was too boring!”
“See? Who’d want either one of you as a leader? I don’t play games. I kick ass!” Jet joined in the fray.
Tyson and Destry sat back while Kyle tried to bring order to the three men who were arguing for themselves and against one another.
“Enough!” Kyle shouted over the trio when he’d heard all the crap he could stand. He retrieved his coat from his chair and began to pull it on. “I have an event I need to attend in fifteen minutes. You three can fight it out, and I don’t care if you kill each other in the process, just as long as someone is alive at the end to lead the team.”
“This could be a long process,” Destry mused.
“I know it could.” Kyle was on his way out the door when he stopped. “One more thing before I go. Since I won’t be around as much, I’ve found someone to replace me in the interim. Micah and Saxon already know him. His name is Titus Landry, we’ve been friends since we were kids. He and I went to flight school together. I’ve already been in touch with him, and he’s eager to come aboard and pick up the slack for me. Now, he won’t be the leader, he’ll just be one of the team, and he knows he’s on probation. He’s a good guy. He has my approval. I hope you all will give him a chance.” He motioned to the three men on their feet. “I wish you three the best of luck in coming out on top, and I wish Destry and Tyson the best of luck with whoever takes my place.”
With those words and a smirking smile, Kyle was gone. His last official action as the head of the Equalizers being the introduction of a new member.
“A new guy?” Tyson groaned when the governor had left the building.
When Kyle was speaking of how he and Micah knew Titus, Saxon had been too distracted to give it much thought and now he was too tired to make much sense of anything. “Do we know this guy?”
Micah took a momentary break from eyeing Jet. “Yea, you know Titus.”
“Doesn’t ring a bell.”
“We went to elementary and junior high with him.” Micah’s voice was even and low. “Remember your birthday party?”
“Ohhh.” Saxon let out a long breath when he finally remembered Titus. “Not that guy.”
Micah chuckled at his buddy’s reaction. “Yep. That guy.”
Immediately, Saxon was transported back to the halls of Westlake Elementary. Titus Landry moved to town when his father came to work for the Chancellors in a high-level executive position. Titus and Kyle hit it off, sharing an interest in sports, and a driving ambition to fly a fighter jet one day. Saxon never liked to think of guys forming cliques like girls, but Kyle and Micah were his buddies, and they stood up for one another. With them, Saxon knew he wasn’t judged for what he owned, but who he was as a person. Saxon’s social status was never an issue to Kyle or Micah, but Titus didn’t feel that way and the birthday party was just the beginning, he never let Saxon forget their differences. Until one day, unbeknownst to Saxon at the time, Micah pulled Titus into the boy’s locker room for a come-to-Jesus moment. The teasing abruptly stopped, but no great friendship ever developed between Saxon and Titus.
The last time he’d seen the guy, Saxon thought there was something different about him, but not too many weeks later Titus’s father found a new job and the family moved on. Kyle hooked up with him years later in the service, but Saxon hadn’t heard his name in so long, he’d almost forgotten the guy existed. A lot of water had washed under the bridge, but Titus’s words had once cut Saxon deep, and he didn’t know how he’d feel when he saw him again – much less be forced to work with him.
Micah looked on as it dawned on his old friend the identity of Titus Landry. He saw the shift in Saxon’s expression. Micah wanted to speak up and reassure his friend how a bully from his past was nothing to be concerned about, but he knew his comment would only wound Saxon’s pride and embarrass him.
“Not meeting your lady friend tonight?” Micah asked Destry, hoping to get Saxon’s focus somewhere else.
Destry stood and picked up his coat. “Is there anything you don’t know, Wolfe?”
“Very little. Why don’t you share with the group, counselor?”
“Why don’t you share for me?” Destry waved his hand to tell Micah to proceed.
“Seems our lawyer friend here has a sugar mama,” Micah informed the others with a hint of mischief in his eye. “A sugar mama with oil wells. Texas royalty.”
“Victoria is not my sugar mama.” He took a folded umbrella from his coat pocket, getting ready to brave the still falling rain. “I am a grown man with a respectable job. I do not need a Sugar Mama.”
“Stop it, Micah. What’s her name, Destry?” Tyson wanted to know, his lips already forming a smirk.
“Victoria Kraft,” Destry said simply, knowing the name would be familiar to them all. No one could live in the Austin area and miss knowing about the Kraft family.
“Wow. Old money.” Tyson’s smirk came out to play. “Does this make you cougar bait, Destry?”
Micah extended his hands with fingers curled into claws. “Rawrrr.”
Destry rolled his eyes at Micah’s foolishness. “I think I’m a bit long in the tooth to be cougar bait, don’t you think? Besides, Victoria is only in her early forties, and I know I don’t have to tell any of you that she’s still a goddamn wet dream. Not to mention, an absolute demon in the sack.”
A grin overtook Saxon’s face. “Oh yeah? Do tell.”
Destry gave a slight chuckle. “Sorry. Those particular details fall under attorney/client privilege. I will say, though, you should consider a mature woman, Sax. They probably could teach you a thing or two.”
“Oh, yea? I was always a pretty good student.” The only woman he wanted to see wasn’t any older than him as far as he knew, but if there was anything he needed to know about sex, he wanted to learn it with her. Taking his phone from his pocket, he checked the screen.
Dammit!
No new calls.
Saxon wondered if he’d ever hear from Olivia again.
CHAPTER FIVE
“All right, Saxon,” Alivia muttered under her breath, “you
might run, but you can’t hide.” She didn’t consider herself to be a hacker; the creative process gave her far more pleasure than the hunt. There were times when she broke her own rules, especially when the police called her in to consult on a case where her talents could come in handy. “This isn’t something I’d normally do, but desperate times call for desperate measures.” Since today was a day for being unpredictable, she was riding her cycle while eating ice cream. Raspberry-white chocolate cheesecake. Delish.
Once she’d made up her mind to attempt contact, Alivia spent some time researching for the proper tools. She found an old program called Cheat-Engine that simplified matters, giving her the ability to modify memory in real time. She had no interest in messing with his software; she just wanted to perform a wall hack that would make the division between realms transparent, so she could check out the identities of other players. Her only objective was to locate Saxon William Abbott in his own habitat.
After figuring out what server Saxon’s Conquest used, the rest was relatively simple. After about thirty minutes of searching, she found the trainer applications for those who helped manage the site. Alivia skipped this, she had no intention of sabotaging the game or exploiting binary vulnerabilities in any way. “Hmmm, this is interesting. I’ll borrow this.” With a few strokes of the keys, she accessed the G/M tools and reversed engineered one of the game resources that would allow her avatar to wear a test-only transparent skin unavailable to normal players, making herself invisible when she chose to be. “This should prove useful.” Alivia had no interest in cheating to gain points in the game. She didn’t intend to play it anymore. This was her swan song. She was a predator with only one prey in mind.
As she made the changes to her own avatar, Alivia noticed the names of the players accessing the General Manager area, and the one showing up most frequently was Jak Kage. She was reasonably confident Saxon would be a hands-on kind of guy. “All right, let’s see if I can find you, Jak.” After using a few underhanded moves to peer behind the veil in Saxon’s Conquest, Alivia found the IP address of the person behind Kage. She hit a few firewalls, but this was her territory, very few people knew more about the inner workings of the cyber world than Alivia Hart. “Aha!” she announced, finding his location in the world. “Paydirt!”
Now, to make things interesting.
One of the features she really liked about Saxon’s Conquest was the ability for the player to custom design their avatar. There was a built-in option for a photo to be downloaded, and the features from the picture to be merged with a character template, then the facial characteristics and clothing could be manipulated in countless ways. She’d had a blast with this aspect, bringing in a picture of herself, then manipulating it until she resembled a cross between Lara Croft and Wonder Woman. Since the release of the movie, she’d tweaked her avatar a little more. Alivia enjoyed imagining herself to be Gal’s twin, standing in front of a mirror and wielding the broadsword she’d bought at a gun and knife show. Yes, she was officially a nerd, she’d never pretended to be anything else. “A nerd with attitude,” she whispered, for she went a step further than most, taking martial arts classes and actually learning how to use the sword. Hell, she was a pretty good shot with a pistol and rifle too, a true Texan. “Yep, if I’m ever called upon to challenge a real dark lord in battle, I’m prepared.”
Setting aside her empty ice cream carton, Alivia pedaled and typed, her brain moving as fast as her legs. By the time she finished her ride, she’d also managed to infiltrate the sanctum of Jak Kage, aka, Saxon Abbott. Before she came forward to ask his permission to enter this section of the game, Alivia made herself familiar with the layout and the levels he’d achieved. She wasn’t surprised to find he was classified with the highest status. After all, who knew the game better than its creator.
To her satisfaction, Kage was online and fighting another knight, vying for possession of a castle. Since she was invisible, her avatar Alyx Paine, took the opportunity to observe the other characters closely. Jak Kage was obviously the most skilled player, and once the battle was over, he pulled off his helmet to address his opponent. When he did, Alivia gasped. She hadn’t been the only one to use the photo merge feature. Either this was Saxon Abbott, or it was a player with a serious Supernatural fixation. “All right, good enough.” Backing out of the scene, Alyx sent a message to Jak in the normal way, asking permission to enter his realm. To her surprise, he accepted her request quickly. Alivia smiled. “Let the games begin.”
… “Alyx Paine, who are you?” Saxon waited for his new guest to appear. He was used to being challenged. The truth of his identity as creator and owner of the game wasn’t a secret, but few knew his role-playing identity as Jak Kage. After his bout with Red Raven, he was sitting on a boulder drinking mead from a horn. If his avatar could’ve choked, the sight of a beautiful woman coming over a distant hill would’ve done it. “Holy Mother of Odin,” he breathed in awe. “Where on earth did you come from? Asgard?”
When the warrior princess drew near, Jak stood to greet her. “Greetings, my lady.” He bowed. “I am Jak Kage, and I make you welcome in my land.” Saxon bent toward the screen, wondering if he were just imagining things, or if this beautiful creature closely resembled the elusive Olivia. “Have we met before?”
“Good day, kind sir.” Alyx nodded her head, using her battle shield to serve as a barrier between her and the man who’d bruised her heart. “I am Alyx Paine. If our paths have crossed, the memory has not lingered. However, I am grateful for your hospitality.”
Her vague answer only served to intrigue Saxon more. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, either his or Jak’s. Dressed in a short tunic, belted at the waist, she was hot, majestic, and totally sexy. The resemblance to Olivia was uncanny, right down to the boots she wore on her beautiful legs. “You are most welcome. Would you join me in my castle for a meal?” He wanted the chance to question this newcomer further.
“I have no time for food and drink.” She stood before him with her head held high, and her breasts thrust out. Saxon’s cock rose proudly to the occasion.
“Very well.” He stood his ground. “How may I serve you, Alyx?”
“You can serve me by surrendering!”
“Holy Shit!” Saxon sat up straighter in the chair, his fingers working feverishly. “What’s got you all hot and bothered?” The words he uttered were not the ones he typed.
“I thought you came seeking peace, Lady Alyx.”
“I did. A piece of your hide will do nicely.”
“I hate to disappoint, but I’m not so easily subdued.”
After that, he was too busy to talk. During the first blows Jak exchanged with the sexy newcomer, Saxon concentrated on settling into the rhythm of swordplay. After several attempts to get past Alyx’s defense, he sought to make her submit, battering at her as if he would pound her into the ground.
“We shall see, Kage, we shall see.” She parried every thrust, not giving an inch. “Won’t it be a blow to your ego to be bested by a woman?”
“Don’t count your dragons before they hatch,” Jak said as Saxon fumed. When he’d first laid eyes on the sexy warrior, he’d been so entranced with her looks, he hadn’t expected an equal opponent. He’d allowed her resemblance to Olivia distract him, and now if he didn’t want to be humiliated, he had to fight as he’d never fought before.
“Damn, she’s good,” he muttered, fighting for his online life. As she spun and wielded her sword with exquisite skill, Saxon realized she wouldn’t be content with just besting him – the woman was out for blood.
A crowd gathered to watch the battle, some were cheering for him, some were encouraging the newcomer. The air rang with the clash of singing blades and the hoarse rasps of their breaths. Saxon felt exhilarated; he’d poured his lifeblood into this game, making it as realistic as possible. The industry had acknowledged his efforts, bestowing awards on Saxon’s Conquest for its advanced graphics and attention to detail. Some critics claimed the e
xperience was like watching a movie; they reported how easy it was to forget they were watching an animated game and not actors on location.
Alyx’s weapon slipped past his block and slashed toward his throat. Jak dodged, laughing as if having the time of his life. He spoke up loudly, praising the warrior princess. “Good move, Paine!”
Paine was right, right in his ass.
Saxon/Jak felt foolish. He’d been on the outlook for a consort, someone to rule his realm with him. He wanted a strong woman, someone with a brain as well as a body. He’d imagined Alyx Paine fitting the bill – until she’d attacked him out of nowhere.
When she whipped around and dealt him a backhanded blow, Saxon thrust his sword vertically to thwart her blade before she cut him in half. “Good one, my lady. Your talent with a sword is unparalleled in my kingdom – except by me!”
Alyx didn’t respond, she just continued to hammer him with blows. Jak continued to put on a show, not only for her but for others who were watching. Not many in the game knew his true identity, but some did. He couldn’t afford to be defeated on his home turf. After another minute of him laughing and regaling her with false praise, Alyx’s attack began to ease up. Their weapons collided and caught over their heads and they stood breast to chest, face to face.
Both Saxon and his avatar was breathing heavily; he wondered if his adversary was doing the same. “Well done. Do we live to fight another day?”
“I don’t know. I could just finish you off right now.” The expression on her face seemed to change, giving him an assessing, yet seductive look. “The challenge you provide is only mildly amusing, Kage.”
